ID: Memorex 3266?

[jim stephens]

Tore S Bekkedal wrote:

>Hey, I've come across a Memorex 3266 half-inch tape drive (well,
>actually several, but only one seems near to operable condition).
>
>picture: http://toresbe.at.ifi.uio.no/3266.jpeg
>
>Anyone recognize it and know what densities and interface(s) it used?
>Guesses are also appreciated ;) It's an autoloader, right?
>
>I've been googling, and also bitsavers has nothing on it. Grateful for
>any hints.
>
>-toresbe
>
>
>  
>
http://sales.gsfc.nasa.gov/vwlotpic.cgi?SN=80322620050001&LN=0040

The drives appear to be part of a Memorex IBM mainframe compatable 
system.  the drives
may be pertec, or may be storagetek, or may be proprietary to the 
controller that
interfaced them to the mainframe system.

since these are nasa mainframe tapes, let's hope that they got all the 
data read before they
scrapped the above hardware.  I also found numerous references to there 
being 3490 and
probably 3480 compatable drives on this same set of subsystems.

also processor.com lists datarefelects computers, 
http://www.datareflects.com, as having
refurbed units, they may respond to a query about the units.

If you could post links to the actual cables or interface connecctors, 
that might help.

They might be scsi, but would be differential if so, because single 
ended was not
allowable outside cabinets.  The pertec would probably be 2 50 pin 
connectors, but
there was never a really official cable, as the recent overland data 
discussion indicates,
and they made up their own.

There was a storage tek drive to controller interface, and they might be 
oem drives
from storage tek.  That interface had three db-37 connectors and three 
cables.

if they were following the IBM lead, they would have a pair of cables 
into the
controller placed to be routed under the floor.  I think one of them 
would have
been a channel type able, one power.

Jim